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The system that gives each branch some power over the others |
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| Collective Action Problem |
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| A sitution in which the members of a group would benefit by working together to produce some outcomes, but each individual is better off refusing to cooperate and reaping benefits from those who do the work |
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| One side of the ideological spectrum defined by support for lower taxes, a free market, and a more limited government |
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Political conflict between red states and blue states |
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| The autonomy of individuals to manage their own financial decisions without government interference |
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| Groups of like-minded people who try to influence the government |
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| Divides different responsibilities to national, state, and local government |
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| An economic system based on competition among business wihtout government interference |
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| The incentive to benefit from others' work without making a contribution, which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together |
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| A system for implementing decisions made through the political process |
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| A cohesive set of ideas and beliefs used to organize and evaluate the political world |
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| One side of the ideological spectrum defined by stronger government programs and more market regulations |
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| Those who prefer very limited government, and therefore tend to be conservative on issues such as wellfare policy, environmental policy, and support for education, but liberal on issues of personal liberty, such as free speech, abortion, and legalization of drugs |
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| Different racial and ethnic groups come to America, they should assimilate into American culture, leaving their native languages, customs, and traditions behind |
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| The process that determines what the government does |
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| Benefits created by a public good that are shared by the primary consumer of the good and by society more generally |
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| Services or actions that, once provided, to one person become avaliable to everyone |
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| Redistributive Tax Policy |
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| Policies, generally favored by Democrats, that use taxation to attempt to greate greater social equality (i.e. higher taxation on the rich to provide programs for the poor) |
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| Divides the government into 3 different, but equal, branches; executive, legislative, and judicial |
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| Those at the Constitutional Convention who favored strong state governments and feared a strong national government would be a threat to individual rights |
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| Articles of the Confederation |
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| Sent to the states for ratification in 1777, these were the first attempt to create a new American Government. However, it was later declared that the Articles restricted national government too much, and was replaced by the US Constitution |
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| First 10 Amendments to the US Constitution |
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| Part of Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress "the power to regulate Commerce, among the seven states". The Supreme Court's interpretation of this clause has varied, but today serves as the basis for much of Congress' Legislation |
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| Idea that government gains its legitimacy through regular elections in which the people living under that government participate to elect their leaders |
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| Constitutional Revolution |
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| A significant change in the Constitution that may be accompanied either through amendments (as after the Civil War) or shifts in the Supreme Court's interpretation of the Constitution (as in the New Deal) |
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| Part of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution that grants Congress the power to pass all laws related to one of its expressed powers; also known as the Necessary and proper clause |
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| Powers explicity granted to Congress, the President, or the Supreme Court in the first three articles of the Constitution. Examples include Congress's power to "raise and support armies" and the President's power as Commander in Chief |
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| Part of Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution that states that "The executive power shall be vested in a President in the US". This broad statement has been used to justify many assertations of Presidential power |
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| A series of 85 Articles wirtten by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay that sought to sway public opinion towards Federalists' position |
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| Those at the Constitutional Convention who favored a strong national government and a system of separated powers |
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A compromise between the large and small states, proposed by Connecticut, in which Congress would have two houses; a Senate with 2 legislatures per state, and a House of Representatitves, in which a state's representation would be based on population (also known as the Connecticut Compromise)
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| A negative or checking power over the other branches that allows Congress to remove the President, Vice President, or other "officers of the US" for abuse of power |
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| Powers supported by the Constitution that are not expressly stated |
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| The Supreme Court's power to strike down a law or executive branch action that it finds unconstitutional |
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| A system in which the powers of the government are restricted to protect against tyranny |
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| A form of government in which power is held by a single person who came to power through inheritance rather than election |
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| National Supremacy Clause |
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| Part of Article VI, Section 2 of the US Constitution stating htat the Constitution and the laws and treaties of the US are the "Supreme Law of the Land", meaning national laws take precedence over state laws if the two conflict |
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| Also known as "unalienable rights", the Declaration of Independence defines them as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The founders believed that upholding htese rights would be the government's central purpose |
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| In response to the "other plan", the smaller states at the Constitutional Convention proposed that each state should receive equal representation in the national legislature regardless of size |
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| A system of government in which legislative and executive power are closely joined. The legislature (Parliament) selects a cheif executive (Prime Minister) who forms the cabinet from members of the Parliament |
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| The idea that having a variety of parties and interests within a government will strengthen the system, ensuring that no group possesses total control |
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| The constitutional power of Congress to raise and spend money. Congress can use this as a negative or checking power over the other branches by freezing or cutting their funding |
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| A form of government in which the interests of the people are represented through elected officials |
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| Madison and framers, the belief that a form of government in which the interests of the people are represented through elected officials is the best form of government |
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| The states' decision during the Constitutional Convention to count each slave as 3/5ths a person in a state's population of determining the number of House members and the distribution of taxes. |
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| A plan proposed by the larger states during the Constitutional Convention that based representation in the national legislature on population. The plan also included a variety of other proposals to strengthen the national government |
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| Federal aid provided to a state government to spend within a certain policy area, but the state can decide how to spend the money within that area |
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| Federal Aid to state or local government that is provided for a specific purpose, such as mass transit program within the transportation budger or a school lunch program within the education budget |
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| The powers of Congress to regulate the economy granted in ARticle I, Section 8 of the Constitution |
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| A form of federalism in which national and state governments work together to provide services efficiently. This form emerged in the late 1930s, representing a profound shift towards less concrete boundaries of responsibility in national-state relations |
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| A form of government in which states hold hte power over a limited national government |
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| A form of federalism in which the federal government pressures the states to change their policies by using regulations, mandates, and conditions (often involving threats to withdraw federal funding) |
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| Doctrine of Interposition |
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| The idea that if the national government passes an unconstitutional law, the people of the States (through their state legislature) can declare the law void. This idea provides basis for the secession and the Civil War |
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| The form of federalism favored by Chief Justice Roger Taney in which the national and state governments are seen as distinct entities providing separate services. This model limits the power of the national government |
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| A form of federalism in which federal funds are allocated to the lower levels of government through transfer payments or grants |
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| Full faith and Credit Clause |
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| Part of ARticle IV of the Constitution requiring that each state's laws be honored by other states. For example, a legal marriage in one state must be recognized across state lines |
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| A type of grant used in the 1970s and 1980s in which the federal government provided state governments with funds to be spent at each state's discretion. These grants provided states with more control over programs |
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| A more refined and realistic form of cooperative federalism in which policy makers within a particular policy area work together across the levels of government |
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| Privileges and Immunities Clause |
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| Part of Article IV of the Constitution that requires states must treat non-state residents within their boarders as they would their own residents. THis was meant to encourage commerce and travel |
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| National laws that address discriminatory state laws. Authority for such legislation comes from Section V of the 14th Amendment |
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| The idea that states are entitled to a certain amount of self-government, free of federal intervention. This became a central issue leading to the Civil War |
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| States' Sovereign Immunity |
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| Based on the 11th Amendment, immunity that prevents state governments from being sued by private parties in federal court unless the state consents to the suit. |
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| Federal laws that require the states to do certain things but not provide state government with the funding to impliment these policies |
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| A system in which the national, centralized government holds ultimate authrority. This is the most common form of government in the world |
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| Basic political freedoms that protect citizens from governmental abuse of power |
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| 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery and granted civil liberties and voting rights to freed slaves after the Civil War |
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| Clear and Present Danger Test |
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| Established in Schenk v. US, this test allows the government to restrict certain types of speech deemed dangerous |
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| Public Expression with the aim of making a profit. It has received greater protection under the 1st Amendment in recent years but remains less protected than political speech |
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| Established in Bradenberg v. Ohio, this test protects threatening speech under the 1st Amendment unless that speech aims to and is likely to cause imminent "lawless action" |
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| Part of the 14th Amendment that forbids states from denying "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" |
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| The idea that laws and legal proceedings must be fair. The Constitution guarantees that the government cannot take away a person's inalienable rights without due process of law. Other specific rights are found in the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th Amendments, such as protection from self-incrimination and freedom from illegal searches |
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| Part of the 1st Amendment that states Congress shall make no law repsecting an establishment of religion, which is interpreted to mean that Congress cannot sponsor or favor any religion |
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| The principle that illegally or unconstitutionally acquired evidence cannot be used in a criminal trial |
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| Forms of expression that "By their very utterance" can incite violence. These can be regulated by the government but are often difficult to define |
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| Part of the 1st Amendment that states Congress cannot prohibit or interfere with the practice of religion |
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| An aspect of prior restraint that allows the government to prohibit the media from publishing certain materials |
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| Expression that is offensive or abusive, particular in terms of race, gender, or sexual orientation. It is currently protected under the 1st Amendment |
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| Established in Lemon v. Kurtzman, the Supreme Court uses this test to determine whether a practice violates the 1st Amendment establishment clause |
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| Established in Miller v. California, the Supreme Corut uses this 3-part test to determine whether speech meets the criteria for obsenity. If so, it can be restricted by the government |
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| The list of civil liberties described in the 5th Amendment that must be read to a suspect before anything the suspect says can be used in trial |
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| A limit on freedom of the press that allows the government to prohibit the media from publishing certain materials |
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| Liberties protected by several amendments in the Bill of Rights that shield certain personal aspects of citizens' lives from governmental interference, such as the 4th Amendment's protection against unreasonable search and seizures |
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| The process through which the civil liberties granted in the Bill of Rights were applied to the states on a case-by-case basis through the 14th Amendment |
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| Nonverbal expressoin, such as the use of signs or symbols. It benefits from many of the same constitutional protections of verbal speech |
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